I have diligently watched the rise in size and influence of conservative websites, including Free Republic, over the last 7-8 years. I have been shocked and concerned over the drop in traffic at the most popular ones over the last year or so. There was good growth up until 2006 but since then there has been a steady downtrend that would crash any other market.

Anyone have any ideas as to what is happening? I'm out of explanations. The deficiencies in alexa.com are noted, but even if the numbers aren't accurate you're still comparing off numbers to off numbers so the decline is consistent.

I'm not trying to lump everyone together. I think there are a lot more religious threads than when I was a lurker. In the past, for example, there was no daily liturgy from the Catholics and the like. I just indicated that my husband said there was talk one time of a separate area for religious threads.

I think we may be reaching a point of blog burnout. We've seen the "new media" in action, and frankly, while it's fun to rant and rave and find kindred spirits on a website, it doesn't amount to much more than jawboning over beers in the local pub.

We all know what the issues are. We all know where the blame lies. We've told each other the same stories so many times that the memories are worn. There's nothing "new" about the "new media" anymore.

Which is not to say that FR and its companion sites aren't valuable. They serve as a nexus for the ideals that sustain us, and everyone needs peer validation once in a while. And occasionally, like the Dan Rather scandal or the Swifties, the eternal vigilance that is liberty's cost pays off.

But mostly, I think we're just getting older, and the fire is burning low. I know I can't muster the enthusiasm I once had.

But tomorrow's another day, and who knows what it may bring? In the meantime, Jim and John and the crew at FR are still latter-day Diogenes's to me.

You know, I am so sick of this. Could it have been worse, yes. A couple years ago I asked my very religious son who'd just reached voting age who he planned to vote for, he said.....ummm, not Kerry... Yes, I'll take two of Bush and bend over for more..but no longer will I be looking for "could it have been worse". Now, I'm looking forward to "could it have been better".

We need someone on OUR team and that's why I like Duncan Hunter, he actually likes America, he wants to stand up for America. I like that!!

Like talk radio there are now more Web sites who narrowly and professionally focus on a limited number of subjects.

This competition is no one's fault and is not easily remedied. What could be remedied is better manners and focusing on issues rather than personalities. There is a definite tendency for a few to "write" more than they "read."

The Net has changed everything and is continuing to change. It is hard to imagine Drudge was a cutting edge news source. He has survived and thrived by short posts and good links on stories that appeal across the political spectrum. He has a "view" but he is gentle in asserting it which is something we could all learn to emulate.

I guess my meaning didn't come out quite right, I'm actually a Rudy supporter as of this moment. I was referring to the anti Rudy people calling us names. That contributes nothing, regardless of what your position is.

CyberAnt wrote: FR has really changed. I see threads that have nothing to do with anything important enough to even read .. but there are so many of them .. they move the other important threads out of sight before you can even read them. Too many disruptors. All they do is all people names and argue about everything .. and especially when they have all their facts wrong. It's practically impossible to DISCUSS any topic.

Oh and before my rant and probably on the draft I didn't send was....yes, Bush has been great on some things, SCOTUS, tax cuts, abortion. Yes, I will say he's done quite well on certain issues but overall I'd give him less than a 50% rating.

In the last election the Conservatives voiced their opinion - some (I) left GOP slots empty. we weren't PO'd at the IRAQ War (other than GWB could have been out earlier, or been more definitive in IRAQ) why? PO'd at GWB's failure to close the border, failure to stand up to the Dims etc. Perhaps it's me but we let the Dims have the best of us for the last 6 years, failed to reverse much of what the Dims did, failure to have a continuation of the Promise To America, failure to make appointments when Congress was out as Clinton did, failure to take action against criminal Dims such as relates to vote fraud etc.

In summary, we elected the best moderate Democrat into the WH. JMO but that is because the GOP attempted to appeal to moderate Dims for votes and lost Conservatives - or catered to illegals and alienated those with Traditional American values..

135
posted on 03/07/2007 7:44:20 PM PST
by Sam Ketcham
(Amnesty means vote dilution, & increased taxes to bring us down to the world poverty level.)

The charts are based on percent as per daily reach. This means the more websites that come about, the more the percent will drop -- unless of course the increase in visitors is higher than the increase in traffic to new websites, and that I think is very unlikely considering the advent of blogs (a fairly recent development) and web video sites such as YouTube.

Once the liberals succeeded in getting us to fight amongst ourselves, instead of against them, things changed.

I think you're right. I find it really depressing that certain posters crack me up ... I've had so much fun here ... and now, there's this huge divide. I don't want to insult anyone, period, but especially not people whose posts I've loved to read, just because we disagree on who should be the Rep nominee.

It's sad, really. I suppose you could argue it's healthy ... but "healthy" debate that occurs in the "social vacuum" that is the Internet (I say that b/c there's not a lot of face to face talk)... quickly becomes vicious.

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